Today we made the next step in wine making with our garden surplus. The melon must was racked into a 5 gallon glass jar. The smaller batch made with figs went into gallon jars each with a vent for gasses on top.
For me the highlight of this process was the gorgeous color of the fig/yeast brew. After lifting the figs out in thier net bag the liquid left for filtering into the jugs was so beautiful. It will be a treat to see it after it has clarified for 2 weeks before bottling to age.
Had a truely indecent amount of fun today. Posting one of our birdhouses on ETSY not only sold it but brought in 8 orders! Got the bodies made yesterday and today was nothin but fun. 5 of them are now altered and it was some good medicine for this tired of summer puppy.
Don had an equally great day- he started his San Juan Melon wine. Only trouble is - it will be 6 months before we know if we like it or not! Just in time for the holiday food festivals with family so hoping it is a fun treat. This photo is the first stage. Lots more to go.
This is the season during which we spend much time harvesting and preparing food for storage in between making pots. I have concentrated on dehydration this summer for the many benefits that mode of food preservation provides. Particularly useful will be grabbing a bag full of munchies on our way out the door to Fall Festivals! But I envision far more interesting soups and stews once that kind of food sounds good again and we are not over 100 degrees each day.
Our Brown Turkey Fig trees are raining figs. They are providing the wildlife with a huge amount of chow but we are getting our little bit and have been very pleased with them dehydrated as halves. Last year when we did them whole they took a full 2 days in the dehydrator and they actually molded before we could eat them all and so were not completely dry in the center. Halving them should solve that problem and it did cut the drying time in half. And they are delicious!
Made a big mistake! Dehydrated one tray of San Juan melon in the last load of figs. OH NO! It is the most amazing exotic flavor and texture ever. Like those ole timey orange peanut pod shaped candies- kinda spongy but chewy and melon flavored with lots of pineapple and banana in the background. Amazing what happens when your days are too long and there is too much food sitting around:) And we actually need a much larger dehydrator as there is squash, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant waiting in line.
Enjoying the increasing stacks of jars and planning to convert a closet into a pantry for all this new storage we will need. Interesting to think we will have summer food available in winter even while harvesting from the fall plantings. Should open up whole new winter menus and make for different gift ideas for those hosting us in our travels this fall.
Feeling pretty fortunate sitting here dipping our homegrown freshly dehydrated zuchinni chips into our very own zipper cream pea hummus spiced with herbs fresh from the yard! Washing it down with carrot/ cucumber juice havested yesterday and chilled overnight.
BUT....all that down the hatch and we are now drooling over our favorite melon of the year. San Juan- this is a 10 pound honeydew type that is hugely aromatic with a delicate flavor. We have had such a great crop of them that they are on the list for winemaking! We will be collecting melons for 2 more days and then we will proceed to processing for a batch of wine.
Yes...we are making pots as well but the days are long and so we are enjoying the fruits of our labors with gusto in between! Happy Summer Gardening!
Greetings and happy Independence Day!
Many thanks go to Kathy Goodin who has the top bid on the bowl we had at auction on Facebook to benfit Texarkana Humane Society. Your bowl has been shipped Kathy and we hope you enjoy it. Hope you know how we apprecaite your generousity for the pets in need in our area. Thank you to all who participated!
Our Independence Day celebration has consisted of a down and dirty cleaning of our work space. This should make things be more welcoming for us to kick into high gear for fall. With so little inventory in the way right now it is an ideal time to strip everything down to almost clean ;) Back to making messes tomorrow!
Still working on lantern orders- don't give up on us! Thanks everyone for your patience!
We have been so thrilled at the wonderful response to our auction item that will benefit the Texarkana Humane Society. This is a all volunteer group that provides housing-care-food and love for many abandoned and abused animals each year. We are unable to take on more animals ourselves and hit on donating a bowl to be auctioned as a way to contribute.
Posting the bowl and the bidding on Facebook has been so effective. The generous spirit of pottery lovers everywhere has risen to the challenge. We will continue accepting bids until the morning of July 1 and the winner will be announced then. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help!
The daylilies have been showing off something fierce lately and we are asking for naming suggestions on Facebook. Please contact us with your suggestions! This medium sized bloom with excellent substance and light fragrance is a firey example of our morning gardenscape.
While enjoying the color show we harvested the daily gallon of blueberries as well as squash, green beans, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Watering non stop with this early heat and lack of rain so I expect the water company will be calling to see if we have a leak ;)
Back to work on orders and new inventory during the hottest part of the day. The newly delivered ton of clay waiting to be thrown is now stacked inside calling us. Heads down and full steam ahead for fall!
Something about being out in a heat index of 108 rather slows mental ability. Just now certain that we have survived! Thank you to all who came out to swelter with us on the grounds of the plantation last weekend. We apprecaite your support and count you among the bravest of the brave! Thank goodness for the huge old trees and their lifesaving shade.
We will be back in the area for the Fleur de Lis event at the Natchitoches Civic Center the Saturday after Turkey Day. Join us with your holiday shopping list.
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